| 12/06/03 |
Beware the buzz on Blair
Despite recent speculations, fallen New York Times journalist
Jayson Blair's agent David Vigliano denies any rumors that Blair's
book proposal is being passed around. According to Vigliano, Blair
has not yet completed his book proposal: "I have not contacted any
editors about Jayson's proposal. What has been termed a 'proposal'
was a letter that Jayson wrote to me at the time I began representing
him that I shared with a Hollywood contact of mine who apparently
leaked it to Howard Kurtz." He also "regrets giving a timeline to
the Observer" about how soon the proposal will be ready, for
a story that the paper wrote at the time Blair announced his plans
to write a book. As for now, Blair's book "will be ready when it is
ready," Vigliano says. He says that Blair's current concerns are "Concentrating
on getting the help he needs, staying sober, and working on a book
proposal, in that order." Blair will be also be writing a film proposal
soon. |
| 11/06/03 |
Former senator's got a Lott to tell
The immense success of Living History, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's new book, has got former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott thinking. Lott said Tuesday that he was considering writing his own book, insisting that he wasn't joking. "I'm going to tell all," he said. "Whoo-ee, there are going to be a lot of nervous people around here." Lott resigned from his leadership post under the pressure of fellow senators and the White House, after a comment he made at then-Sen. Strom Thurmond's 100th birthday, in which he commended Thurmond's 1948 segregationist presidential campaign. Should he write a book, Lott said he would have positive things to say about those who gave him support during the scandal, but would expose colleagues who betrayed him, including "a few lacking in the character and courage to serve in this body."
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| 10/06/03 |
Perdue on plagiarism: Perdon't even try it
Author Lewis Perdue, who earlier noted significant similarities between his 2000 novel The Da Vinci Code ("Will Code Crack?" News, 6/2/03), has "decided to take legal action," he announced in an interview yesterday. Perdue found 19 strikingly similar plot elements between the two books, and believes that "there are far too many parallels between the two books for it to be an accident. The biggest smoking gun is there is a painting which contains, physically, a gold key, which leads to a safe deposit box in a Zurich bank, which contains the ultimate clue leading to the treasure," Perdue said. "And the two people retrieve this from the safe deposit box as the guys are closing in and they escape by the skin of their teeth."
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| 09/06/03 |
No. 1 Ladies' Memoir Club
Two former First Ladies have a lot to tell America in their respective forthcoming memoirs. In Living History, due out on Monday, Clinton reveals her softer side, taking partial blame for "botching health care, coming on too strong and galvanizing our opponents." Which doesn't mean she denies her stance on issues she was passionate about: While she admits she could have better phrased her description of a "vast right-wing conspiracy" hounding her and her husband, she maintains that there are still those who want to "turn the clock back on many of the advances our country has made." She also candidly reveals her sentiments upon hearing of her husband's affair with Monica Lewinsky: "I didn't know whether our marriage could—or should— survive such a stinging betrayal...This was the most devasting, shocking and hurtful experience of my life." Amidst eager anticipation for the book's release, the Associated Press caused quite a stir when the company revealed it "got an early copy" of the 562-page memoir. Simon & Schuster then sent a letter objecting to the AP's report claiming it amounted to copyright infringement. Clinton's predecessor, former First Lady Barbara Bush, is undertaking her own opus. The revelations in her book are apparently so controversial that her publisher's in-house lawyers are requesting that she tone it down. Reflections, a memoir of the eight years between her husband's and son's presidencies, will be released October 14.
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| 06/06/03 |
Leftist series prepares for liftoff
This fall, readers will find a new line of books, the American Empire Project, in bookstores. These "short, argument-driven" books, published by Metropolitan, developed by editors and historians Tom Engelhardt and Steve Fraser, will discuss "the increasingly imperial cast of America's government and policies." The line will launch in October with Noam Chomsky's first book published in the 21st century. Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Domination is said to be Chomsky's first wholly new book in over 10 years. Incidentally, the other side isn't far behind: Publishers Penguin Putnam and Crown (publisher of the recent conservative hit Slander, by Ann Coulter) have also announced a line of politically conservative books and plan to publish about 15 titles a year.
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| 06/06/03 |
Potter thief to give back to community
Donald Parfitt, an employee of Clays Ltd., the printer of the new Harry Potter novels, was sentenced to 180 hours of community service after pleading guilty last month to taking pages from the new J.K. Rowling novel. Government officials considered sentencing Parfitt to jail time because of "the serious breach of trust and the high potential value" of the stolen work. The mitigating factors are the remorse that you have shown, your early guilty plea and the fact that it was an impulsive act," magistrate chairman Bunty Hunt told Parfitt.
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| 06/02/03 |
Will Code crack?
Lewis Perdue, author of the 2000 novel Daughter of God, has noted uncanny similarities between his book and Dan Brown's recent bestseller The Da Vinci Code. Last week, Perdue sent a memo to Doubleday, Brown's publisher, regarding the two novels' striking parallels. Both thrillers deal with chilling conspiracies within the Roman Catholic Church and include inquisitive religion professors. An influential woman by the name of Sylvia (Greek for 'wisdom') appears in both novels. In both novels, the secret to a Swiss safe-deposit box, a gold key, lies in a painting. Nevertheless, "Dan Brown has never read or heard of this book," said Brown's attorney Michael Rudell. Despite the discernible resemblance, the question remains as to whether the similarities involve plagiarism or mere coincidence. Perdue has not yet decided if he will sue.
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| 03/06/03 |
Barbie is to Skipper as Candace Bushnell is to....
There's a new genre of books out there for the (very) young sophisticate. A slew of novels geared for readers ages 15 and up—like the new Gossip Girl series by Cecily von Ziegesar—boast covers with short skirts, glowing legs and bikini cleavage à la Sex and the City. Von Ziegesar's novels set young readers in New York's Upper East Side, where a socially blessed high school clique encounters sex, drugs, backbiting and materialism. Publishers Weekly calls it "a nasty, guilty pleasure." According to the Pittsburg Post-Gazette, these reads have revitalized the young adult book market, attracting more teen and tween readers. Popular new books include Jeanne Betancourt's Three Girls in the City, Ann Brashares' The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Knocked Out by my Nunga-Nungas, by Louise Rennison and The True Meaning of Cleavage by Mariah Fredericks.
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| 30/05/03 |
Naughty novelist Winsor dies
Kathleen Winsor, 83, author of the notorious (and bestselling) novel Forever Amber, died Monday in New York. The novel broke new ground in romance when it was published in 1944. Scorned by critics but loved by readers (who bought 3 million copies), it followed a young woman's sexual adventures in Restoration England. Winsor's novel was banned in Massachusetts because of its explicit content. The state's attorney general noted 70 references to sexual intercourse, 39 illegitimate pregnancies, seven abortions and 10 descriptions of women undressing in front of men. Still, Winsor claimed she "wrote only two sexy passages," which her publishers replaced with ellipses: "In those days, you could solve everything with an ellipse."
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| 29/05/03 |
Like cheese or a fine wine
Does literature ripen with age? According to the Times London, some people have been turning away from 'chick lit,' and turning towards books by mature authors. In England, for example, several fiftysomething writers have signed lucrative deals in the past few weeks. Says Sheila Quigley, 55, a grandmother of eight with a £300,000 advance for her first book: "You've got to be a bit older to write well about people." Peter Rushforth, 58, is another veteran who's just come out with his second novel. "I was told the other day by someone in publishing that the new thing was called 'granny lit,' said Rushforth's agent Christopher Sinclair-Stevenson. Quigley's literary agent, Darley Anderson, believes that age is able to draw in a diverse audience: "The big advantage is that these authors do not appeal to just one generation of female readers. You are as likely to get a 19-year-old reading Penny Vincenzi as a 70-year-old."
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| 24/05/03 |
Rainbow needs a pot o' gold
Reading Rainbow, the PBS children's television show about books,
may have only several more months to live. The 20-year-old show has
won seven Emmy Awards since its launch in 1983. But with no access
to merchandise licensing deals and 20 years on the air, Reading
Rainbow has fought an uphill funding battle in recent years. According
to the show's host, LeVar Burton, the show's low budget has meant
producers can only make a few episodes of the show. This year, with
a budget of $2 million, they were only able to produce four. PBS,
which wants to keep the show alive, will have the summer to hunt for
money before a decision is made. "It is clear we have had an impact,"
says Burton, who was recently serenaded with the show's theme song
by students at the University of Southern California, his alma mater.
"Not a day goes by where someone doesn't come up to me and mention
how important the show has been for their children or themselves in
terms of encouraging them to read." |
| 23/05/03 |
L.A. novelist Little dies
Eddie Little, 48, a Los Angeles novelist and journalist for the L.A.
Weekly, died Tuesday of a heart attack in an L.A. motel room. Little
was most famous for his first novel, which was made into a movie starring
James Woods and Melanie Griffith in the same year it was published.
1998's Another
Day in Paradise, which Little began while serving a prison
term, was a fictionalized account of his life as a drug addict, thief,
and convicted criminal. Little spent most of his adult life on probation
or in prison for convictions of robbery, assault, fraud and drug possession.
Despite his criminal history, L.A. Weekly editor Howard Blume says,
"Writing was the center of Eddie's life." |
| 21/05/03 |
The Get Blair Rich Project
Just weeks after being fired for fraudulent reporting at The New
York Times, Jayson Blair has a book agent and a proposal to publish
a nonfiction book. "I hope to have the opportunity to write and share
my story so that it can help others to heal," the 27-year-old black
journalist told CNN on Monday. The proposal states that the book will
focus on Blair's journalistic mistakes and his experience as a minority
professional. Although David Vigliano, Blair's book agent, admits
that the reporter "embarrassed The New York Times," he doesn't
have any qualms with representing him: "He did wrong, he obviously
admitted it and paid the price...he's not eating babies, you know?"
Now if the two could only find a publisher who believes Blair's story
has merit. Not even Simon & Schuster, publisher of the forthcoming
book by fallacious journalist Stephen Glass, will consider Blair's
book. The similarities between the two journalists and their situations,
says Glass' publisher David Rosenthal, "are extremely superficial
at best." |
| 21/05/03 |
Kidman to star in Pearson adaptation
Nicole Kidman is in talks to star in a Miramax adaptation of British author Allison Pearson's bestseller I Don't Know How She Does It, about a thirtysomething woman struggling to balance work and family. According to London's Daily Telegraph, as soon as Kidman arrived in Cannes this Sunday, she met up with Miramax bigshot Harvey Weinstein to discuss the role of protagonist Kate Reddy. "I am in author heaven," says Pearson. "If I had a face in my mind when I wrote the book, it was her...I am very, very lucky. She hasn't signed on the dotted line yet, but all the indications are that it will happen." In the meantime, look for Kidman in a December adaptation of Chris Frazier's Cold Mountain.
|
| 14/05/03 |
Pilferer of Potter pages prosecuted
A truck driver has confessed to stealing pages from the latest Harry
Potter novel. Donald Parfitt, 44, a driver at Clays Printers in Bungay,
Suffolk, where Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is being
printed, admitted to theft when he appeared before court on Wednesday.
Parfitt told police that he found pages from the new book in a car
park at the printer. According to prosecutor James Terry, Parfitt
was arrested after attempts were made to sell the stolen pages to
London tabloid The Sun. Parfitt apologized and wishes the whole
episode had not occurred, said his lawyer, Richard Mann. "The whole
world knows he has been charged with this high-profile offense. His
name is now associated with dishonesty. He thinks he's going to lose
a lot of friends. He is certainly someone who will lose his job."
|
| 09/05/03 |
Harry Potter found in field
Despite an anxious three-year wait filled with everything from deferred release dates to internet imitations, both American publisher Scholastic and British publisher Bloomsbury have managed to conceal the plot of J.K. Rowling's fifth book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. But parts of the plot may now be out on the prowl. In England, Suffolk police arrested and questioned four people about the suspected theft of proof copies of the fifth Harry Potter book. The arrests came after two copies of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix were found abandoned in a field a quarter of a mile away from the plant where the book is being printed. A man walking in the fields found the copies and called The Sun newspaper, which says it is currently safeguarding the two proofs, and has rejected a £25,000 offer for a third.
|
| 09/05/03 |
A cheater prospers?
Stephen Glass, the former editor of The New Republic who was
fired in 1998 for fabricating stories in the magazine, is telling
his side of the story in his new book, The
Fabulist. The book, which will be released next Tuesday, tells
a fictionalized version of Glass' own story. It follows the rise and
fall of a journalist (also named Stephen Glass) who goes so far in
making up stories as to create phony notes and messages to deceive
editors and fact-checkers. Topics of the stories manufactured by Glass—then
an associate editor at just 25 years old—include a bond-trading firm
with a shrine to Alan Greenspan and a right-wing political conference
rampant with sex, drugs and alcohol. "While this novel was inspired
by certain events in my life, it does not recount the actual events
in my life. The book is a work of fiction, a fabrication, and this
time, an admitted one," Glass wrote. Simon & Schuster, the publisher
of the novel, kept the project covert by selling the book to stores
without revealing its title or author, mentioning only that it "does
for the media business what Primary
Colors did for politics." However, the book's premise was
discovered when a Newark bookstore accidentally put it on sale early
and The New York Times obtained a copy of the work. Some of
Glass's former co-workers are horrified by the attention that he is
receiving for the forthcoming roman à clef. Says Leon Wieseltier,
The New Republic's literary editor: "The careerism of his repentance
is repulsively consistent with the careerism of his crimes." |
| 05/05/03 |
Who killed Daniel Pearl?
After gaining attention in Europe, a new book about the kidnapping and death of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in Pakistan has just been purchased by American publisher Melville House. Who Killed Daniel Pearl?, a 538-page book by French philosopher-author Bernard-Henri Levy, alleges that Pearl wasn't killed because he's American, Jewish or a reporter, but rather because of the secrets he was uncovering at the time of his death. According to Levy, Pearl's murder was a "cold, calculated crime," an intentional effort to mask a connection that Pearl was investigating between the Islamic extremist al-Qaeda network and Pakistani intelligence. Despite The Wall Street Journal's elusiveness about Pearl's work at the time of his death, Levy believes the reporter was working on an article that would reveal the al-Qaeda intentions to acquire nuclear weapons from supporters inside Pakistan's scientific establishment.
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